No. 16 UNC women's basketball score 119 points in thumping of NCCU

Just over four minutes into the second quarter, graduate guard Lexi Donarski blocked Kyla Bryant's shot. 

Sophomore guard Reniya Kelly leapt up and grabbed the ball. 

The Tar Heels raced up the court in transition, and Kelly launched a diagonal cross-court pass back to Donarski, who slashed a quick bounce pass across the paint to graduate forward Alyssa Ustby.

Ustby drove through contact for the lay-in, then turned around and raised her arms in a shrugging motion while sprinting back on defense. 

“I know ultimately I’m going to get the ball in places that I like to score from, and then in turn, also help my teammates get better looks as well,” Ustby said. “It’s a two-way street.”

Representative of the dominant performance by the UNC offense, Ustby’s fast-break layup stretched the lead to 37. North Carolina led 51-14 with a little over 25 minutes to go.

After scoring under 70 points in each of their games in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, the No. 16 Tar Heels exploded for 119 points — the most scored under head coach Courtney Banghart — to dominate N.C. Central, 119-43, on Friday afternoon in Carmichael Arena. UNC was able to increase the speed of its offense and display its improved shot selection in its high scoring win. 

North Carolina surpassed the final scores of its matchups against Ball State and Villanova in the Bahamas in just two quarters, tallying 65 points before going into the locker room at halftime.

“In the Bahamas, the game was slower,” Banghart said. “With Villanova, they’re in the top-ten in pace of play, meaning they played very slowly, so it’s just less possessions for us.” 

NCCU's fast-pace style offered the opposite: more possessions for North Carolina — more opportunities to score.

“The pace of our offense was very poor in the last few games," Kelly said. "And I think we really wanted to focus on that, and it opens up a lot of different options."

Out of every player that scored, North Carolina had six players in double figures, including Ustby who recorded her third double-double of the season on top of a season-high 24 points. 

Ustby struggled on the offensive end of the floor to start the year. She scored in single digits in half of UNC's first eight games, averaging ten points a game compared to last season's average of 12.5.

But Friday was different. She chalked her offensive improvements up to trusting in her teammates and working to play within the flow of the game that fell naturally for the Tar Heels.

But it wasn't just Ustby who got back to her usual self. Senior center Maria Gakdeng occupied the starting center spot for the first time since UNC's matchup against UConn on November 15, recording a 10 point and 11 rebound double-double in 16 minutes.

“Tactically these guys are just growing together,” Banghart said. “There’s a lot of experience but them getting a chance to play together with Maria back I think was also part of it.”

In addition to improved pace of play, refined shot selection allowed the Tar Heels to score over 100 points on high efficiency — shooting nearly 57 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc. Instead of taking contested two's, UNC is getting open three's and better shots in general, helping guide the fluidity of the offense.

“We know we’re not where we want to be yet," Ustby said. "But we’re taking steps every practice and every game."

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@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com